Lambing season is in full swing at Jako Farm! There is something so hopeful and magical about witnessing new life.
Our mama ewes give birth in the pasture. They often pick a spot away from the other sheep and cows so they can have a little space and privacy.
The ewe lies down to give birth and then immediately gets up to start cleaning off the lamb.
Within minutes the little lamb is trying to stand up!
The lamb gets her footing figured out and starts looking for milk right away.
It often takes a few tries, but generally within five minutes of being born, a little lamb is on her own four feet nursing away. Isn’t that just miraculous???
Before long, the pasture turns into a sea of ewes and lambs. The first-time mamas usually have just one lamb, but the older ewes often have twins or triplets. The ewes identify their lambs by smelling their scent and they communicate with each other by their baaa sounds. By the end of lambing season there will be well over 250 sheep in the pasture, but each mama and baby knows the unique call of their loved one. Isn’t that amazing?
An Adoption Story
This week we had a not-so-ideal situation turn into a story of redemption.
One of our mama ewes gave birth to stillborn twins. It’s a heartbreaking situation, but as farmers we have to accept that this is part of the life cycle. A day earlier a different mama had given birth to triplets and wasn’t able to care for all three, so we took the weakest lamb up to the house to care for and bottle feed.
The timing worked out perfectly as we had one mama without babies and one baby who needed a mama! With some intervention and persistence from the farmers, we were able to bond the two together. These two have had a traumatic week, but life is looking better for both of them!
Bottle Lambs for Sale
Occasionally we have bottle lambs that need a new home. These lambs will be a few days old and will need to be bottle fed. I can put your name on a list to be called if one becomes available but I cannot guarantee you will get a lamb. We always hope the mamas are able to care for all of their babies and we don’t have bottle lambs! Ewe lambs are $75 and wethers are $50. Please reply to this email if you are interested.
Worm Compost Bins for Sale
We have two vermicomposting bins that need a new home. This is an excellent way to teach your kids about composting. It’s so fun to hear the worms munching away at the food scrapes and paper. It actually sounds like rice krispie cereal popping! The picture below shows the tub and bin full of worms. One bin is $100. Please reply to the email if interested.
We absolutely love this time of year on the farm! Every day the grass gets a little greener, more leaves fill out the trees, and new animals are born on the farm. As you might imagine, it’s a pretty busy time for the farmers, too, so we cannot offer individual farm tours.
Stay tuned to hear when you’ll have a chance to visit the pasture later this season!
